Snow Fell in August and July

The Cortland News, Friday, August 10, 1883.

U. I. & E. Shops—Railroad Meeting.

   In accordance with the call issued by President Mahan on Thursday, Aug. 1, inst., a goodly number of our citizens gathered at Fireman's Hall on Friday evening following. The meeting was called to order by Mr. Mahan, on whose motion Mr. E. A. Fish was made chairman, who stated the object of the meeting to be to invite the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railway Company to locate their shops in Cortland, and to form plans for that purpose. Mr. Mahan was chosen secretary.

   Mr. L. S. Hayes, being called for, said that the U. I. & E. R. R. is rapidly becoming a first-class carrier. Its coal freight has been more than doubled, and it will have to increase its capacity. The company now employ at their Breesport shops from thirty to forty men, and are compelled to move their shops as there is not room enough at Breesport. Canastota and Elmira had made generous offers but those places are at the ends of the road, and are not so conveniently located as Cortland for enabling the Company to reach any part of the road in case of accident. He had talked with Mr. McLeod, who examined the ground which owners of property adjoining the U. I. & E. lands had offered, and thought that this would bring the shops here. The company were given the refusal of the gift of ground for sixty days, but that time expired thirty days ago and since then the matter has hung fire.

   Mr. J. S. Bull wrote to Mr. McLeod to come to Cortland and confer in regard to the shops, and that gentleman did so and proposed to remove them to this place provided the Company were given the five acres of land previously offered and $7,000, and would at once begin the erection of brick buildings so as to have them occupied before the opening of winter. The shops would employ about seventy-five men and perhaps more. The trains would stop here whenever the necessary arrangements could be made. The workmen could bring their families and settle here, which would add materially to Cortland's trade. Mr. Hayes enumerated other advantages arising from the location of the shops here, and said that Canastota had offered $7,000, Cazenovia $7,000, DeRuyter $10,000, and Elmira $12,000 and he believed location also in every instance, but Cortland is the best place and but little effort is required to bring the shops.

   Geo. B. Jones, Esq., said that manufacturing had done more to advance Cortland to its present prosperity than all other agencies combined, and that this move ought to be encouraged as it was safe to judge the future by the past.

   Mr. T. Stevenson said that Mr. Fitch, superintendent of the U. I. & E. R. R., thinks that Cortland is the best place, but as the stockholders are interested in the money question, they would have to be influenced by the help given to aid in the removal, and that he believed they would remove the shops to Cortland for about the cost. They would employ more than a hundred men. Mr. S. said that the money should not be paid until the shops were built.

   Mr. Hayes said the contract would so read that the land should revert to the givers in case the shops failed to be used for the purpose for which they were intended.

   I. H. Palmer, Esq., had not heard any suggestion as to how the money is to be raised—he doubted whether it could be done by taxation without a special act of the Legislature, The shops were once located here and removed to Breesport to further the interests of an officer of the Road, which he considered an unwise step for the Road.

   Mr. Tillinghast did not believe that the money could be raised by tax, or that the Legislature would give us the power to tax the citizens for the amount. He thought a committee should be appointed to confer with the railroad authorities and obtain from them a definite proposal.

   Remarks were made by Messrs. Jas. S. Squires, J. S. Bull, and others, upon the subject of binding the Company to keep the shops here, as to whether the owners of the property adjoining the Company's lands would continue their previous offer, etc., but the opinion prevailed that the Company had not the power to enter into a contract that would be binding upon their successors, and Mr. G. B. Jones expressed the belief that the Company would not be likely to remove buildings of brick, which he understood it is their intention to erect.

   On motion of Mr. Hayes, Messrs. T. Stevenson, A. Mahan, W. D. Tisdale and J. S. Bull, were appointed a committee to confer with the U. I. & E. authorities, to solicit subscriptions, to take such measures as they deemed best to procure the location of the shops in Cortland, and to call future meetings. Mr. Hayes was added to the committee and the meeting closed.

The New Directory.

   "Cortland General Business Directory, containing National, State, County, Town and City Governments, Institutions, Societies, and Miscellaneous Information for the Public, by Wm. F. Burdick," is on the title page of the new village directory, which is this week being distributed to our citizens. It is a book of 130 pages, well-arranged, well-printed, well-bound, well-done, and, so far as we have been able to examine it, the statistics are accurate. The work reflects credit on its compiler, Mr. W. F. Burdick, who evidently aimed to make it reliable as to general information, and matters pertaining directly to the purpose, for which it is issued, and so far as we can discover, such is the case.

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   Street commissioner Davern is grading Prospect and Park streets.

   Mr. Chas. Rood has begun the erection of a house on Madison street.

   The trustees at their meeting Monday evening accepted Charles and Blodgett streets.

   Snow fell in this village last Sunday and also on the Sabbath previous, as several of our citizens witnessed.[1883 Eruption of Krakatoa]

   Mr. D. Bauder is putting down a stone curbing in front of the Cortland House, which is the right kind of finish of the improvements he has made.

   Brother Bunn, of the Homer Republican, has been reappointed Deputy Division Collector of Internal Revenue of this district, with his office in Syracuse.

   The Greenway Guards excursion from Syracuse to Binghamton passed through here at 9:15 A. M. Monday, and the train was composed of nine cars, which were all filled.

   Don't forget the picnic of the Catholic church at the Fair Grounds to-morrow. Lots of fun promised. Admittance, 25 cents. Children, horses and carriages, free.

   The Marathon Independent says that if one or two people  “can be induced to stay at home and see to things on the 14th the rest of the village will adjourn en masse to Cortland," to see Forepaugh's [circus] show.

   Indications point to a more lively trade for Cortland this tall than ever before, and that it will open much earlier than usual. In fact, business has through the summer season been better than usual for the time of year.

   Mr. Robert Gerrard has just opened a saloon at his residence opposite the north line of the Fair Grounds, where he will keep cigars, tobacco, spruce beer, cider, fine ales, etc. Meals will be furnished when called for, and also accommodations for horses.

   Notwithstanding the ordinance passed by the Board of Trustees and posted about the village, loafers continue to congregate in crowds on our streets, and in some cases they are very offensive. We have seen ladles go considerably out of their way in order to avoid them.

   The streets of the village are being put in order as rapidly as possible, and though some may think those on which they live are not receiving the attention that ought to be given them, yet the trustees are doubtless doing the best possible under the circumstances, their aim being to work those streets first which are traveled most.

   Fred Owens, who lived in the house upon the Hammond farm north of this village for the past three months and whose eccentric actions have caused many to believe him insane, was last week examined by Dr. Jackson, of Binghamton, and placed in the insane institution there. He went into the woods last Wednesday with the avowed intention of killing himself, but was followed and taken care of . — Marathon Ind.

   Notwithstanding the dull summer 8,000 chairs were manufactured at Mr.

L. S. Hayes' factory in the month of July, and yet he is unable to meet the demand. Supplied with the best machinery, so that men only are needed now to do the work for which 70 were a year ago required, the above number of chairs can be turned but each month, making a total of nearly 100,000 of these useful household articles in a year.

   On Thursday afternoon last, Georgie Swift, youngest son of G. L. Swift, 16 years of age, went hunting. Returning home at about 5 o'clock, he thought he would discharge the gun so as to have it empty when he took it home. It being an old gun, proved to be too heavily loaded, and exploded, a piece of the barrel, where it fastens on the breech, passing through his hand and thence into his forehead. The force of the missile being broken by passing through the hand, the blow in the forehead was not sufficient to penetrate the skull, but made a bad wound in the flesh. He was made unconscious, but recovered sufficiently to reach home.—Marathon Ind.

   Mr. Chas. P. Snider's two houses on Elm street are being well built.

   The Board of Education has purchased two furnaces for each of the new school-houses.

   On Saturday Aug. 25, the Hattery company of Baldwinsville, accompanied by the Baldwinsville Band, will "excurse" to Cortland and picnic at the [Blodgett]trout ponds.

   The Methodist Episcopal church and Sunday-school go on an excursion and basket picnic to Binghamton on Tuesday, the 21st of this month. A cordial invitation is extended to the public to participate. It will be an excellent opportunity for our citizens to visit the beautiful "Parlor City," and at a small expense, and do us all good to get away from home, if but for a day.

   Monday afternoon a horse belonging to Mr. Welt Bogardus got away from him at the Fair Grounds and ran down North Main street on to Grant, where it left the wagon, thence, some of the time on the sidewalk, it ran on North Church street, Clinton avenue, Groton avenue, Adams street, Lincoln avenue, North Main street to the Cortland House, where it was captured. Luckily no one was injured, and the horse but slightly so.

   A new company has been formed in Cortland for the purpose of manufacturing the celebrated Sanford pitchfork. It will be known as the Sanford Fork and Tool Manufacturing Co. DeForest Sanford, son of the original inventor, will be the Superintendent of the works. Land has been purchased for a site and buildings are to be erected at once. It is expected that the manufacture of forks will begin about the first of November. The company will manufacture all kinds of tined steel tools and expect to turn out 10,000 dozen forks the first year. This is the second new factory established in Cortland during the present year, the first being Orr & Crosley's overall factory, and speaks well for that enterprising village which is already recognized as a manufacturing center.—Moravia Rep.

Death of Clinton T. Rindge.

   On Thursday morning of last week our community was greatly excited as the news spread that Mr. Clinton T. Rindge, residing near the alms-house, had attempted suicide. The facts appear to be as follows: Mr. Rindge, who was usually a man of most excellent spirits, has for a year or two met with a series of afflictions, which has at times greatly worried him. Within a short time he has lost by death not only his father, but his wife, a son and a son-in-law; and lately an operation has been performed upon another favorite son and the prospects seemed unfavorable for his recovery. 
   On Monday night, Aug. 1st, he was in very cheerful spirits, conversing pleasantly with the widow of his deceased son and other members of the family. He retired at the usual time. About four o'clock the next morning groans were heard in his room. His son upon going to the room found Mr. Rindge in a pool of blood which completely saturated the bed, and a severe cut in his arm extending half way around it and severing the veins and arteries. Mr. Rindge was then a raving maniac. A physician was called, the wound dressed and everything that skill could do was done to save his life. But the shock to his nervous system was so great that all efforts were in vain and he died about eleven o'clock Thursday night. He was buried in the Homer cemetery on Saturday last, a large gathering of neighbors and friends attesting the esteem in which he was held by those who knew him.

   In some respects this was one of the most remarkable cases ever occurring in this community. Mr. Rindge was a man of much more than ordinary intelligence; he was entirely beyond any financial embarrassments, owning a fine farm on which he had lived many years and which he had put in a high state of cultivation, with several thousands of dollars at interest, and everything to make him comfortable and happy. A man very popular in society; a sort of pet in the neighborhood ; of good standing in the Baptist church in this village; a leading and true member of his political party, and a leader in school matters and everything that pertained to his neighborhood, and withal possessed of a remarkably cheerful disposition, it nearly seemed impossible that in a single night the reason of such a man should be dethroned and this good, intelligent and well-to-do man should be led to commit violence upon himself. The death of no one in such a manner could have created greater surprise.

   This community has met with an irreparable loss. Clinton T. Rindge was one of those true men whose loss is always felt. It was never necessary to ask where he stood upon a question. It was only necessary to settle it as to where the right was, and there he was found and nothing could move him from it. In politics he was unwavering; in religion he was true to his convictions, and in all the reforms of the day he was outspoken and his position was unmistakable. In charily he was liberal almost to a fault, and none will miss him more than the neighborhood where he has so long lived and where they so well know the beauties of his spotless character.